Her mother was sound asleep but wheezing terribly. Susanna remembered what Mrs. Sanborn had said and put some water on the stove to boil. It was just starting to boil when there was a loud knock on the door.
She opened the door and found a man with a thick white mustache. He pulled off his hat to reveal equally white hair and smiled. “I’m the doctor.”
“Dr. Sanborn. It’s a pleasure to meet you, although I wish it were under better circumstances.” Susanna ushered him into her mother’s room. “Mother, the doctor has come to examine you.”
Her mother opened her eyes and began to cough. She could barely get her breath, and Susanna hurried to help her sit.
“You shouldn’t be lying flat,” the doctor admonished. “That just allows all the mucus to settle in the lungs. Prop her up. At least forty-five degrees.”
Susanna grabbed a couple of pillows from the other bed. “My mother’s name is Gladys Ragsdale,” she offered as she helped her mother get comfortably arranged at the new angle.
“Mrs. Ragsdale, I am Dr. Sanborn. I’m going to listen to you breathe and see just how bad this is.” He pulled a stethoscope from his bag and put it against her back. He barely listened to her before declaring a diagnosis. “She has pneumonia. This is quite dangerous. I can hear it in both lungs.”
“What can we do?” Susanna couldn’t hide the fear in her voice.
“It will be important to keep her warm and propped up. Also strong black coffee. She’ll need to drink strong black coffee several times a day. The hot liquid will help, but moreover the coffee has properties in it that will speed up the blood and help open the lungs.”
Susanna nodded. “I can see to that for certain. Is there any medicine she might take?”
“I have some cough syrup if the strain gets to be too much, but we want her to cough out the mucus so she clears her lungs. You can give her willow bark tea for the fever.”
“I will.” Susanna looked at her mother, who looked so helpless. She’d never witnessed her sick like this in all the times her mother had made a fuss about her health.
“I’ll come check on her this evening,” the doctor said.
“Thank you. What do I owe you?”
He smiled and put away his stethoscope. “We’ll settle up when this is done with. The missus and I will be praying for her.” He glanced down at Mother, who had already fallen back asleep. He gave a little nod and picked up his bag. “Keep hercomfortable. Try to get her to take some broth later. She needs to keep up her strength. Chicken is best, but oxtail is a good alternative.”
Susanna saw him to the door and then went to tell Lia what the doctor had said. Lia was so understanding and helpful. She promised to be there as much as possible.
“The boys will be home from school at four. I’ll need to be there until LeRoy gets home around four thirty. After that I can come over for a few hours.”
“I’d appreciate that. Just until we get some sort of routine figured out. I need to let my father and brother know what’s going on too. We’ll have to find a way to take turns taking care of her, but having you to help us will make all the difference.” Susanna gave Lia a hug. “You truly are like a sister to me.”
Lia nodded. “We’ll be praying too. I know pneumonia is serious. Would you allow me to let the ladies from our quilting club know? They will get the word out to pray.”
“I would love that very much. Thank you, Lia.”
Susanna made her way back to her mother’s bedside. She pulled up a chair and took hold of her mother’s hand. She hadn’t expected this simple movement to wake her mother, but it did.
“Susanna.”
“I’m here, Mother.”
The older woman struggled to breathe. The wheezing was terrible, and Susanna couldn’t help but think back to Mark. He had been sick like this. His fever had raged, and his breathing had been so labored. Willow bark tea hadn’t helped. Neither had the mustard plaster, nor the peppermint tea. Nothing had helped. Would it be that way again?
Her mother opened her eyes. “I’m afraid.”
Susanna could see the sincerity in her eyes. “I am too. I’m praying for you, however. And Lia and I are going to nurse you the best we can. I’m going to make you some strong coffee. The doctor said it will help.”
“What if ... I don’t get well?”
“Oh, don’t talk like that. I’m sure you’ll recover.”
Her mother shook her head. “I’m ... not healthy.”
“You’re better than you think. The doctor is coming back to see you tonight, so let’s show him what we can accomplish. I’ll get you some strong coffee, and after that some willow bark tea. We need to keep you drinking fluids. It will help bring down the fever.”
